Schwarzer Will Stop At The Top

Mark Schwarzer will embark on what will no doubt be his final season in the English Premier League with the Europa League champions Chelsea. He will make the short move across suburbs after being dumped a month ago by former employer Fulham.

Many Australian fans will be questioning this move by Schwarzer, as he won’t be the number one goalkeeper at the club. Petr Cech will hold onto that position as the incumbent.

It is fair enough as well considering this upcoming season will lead into a World Cup. Australia will need their leading shot stopper in fine form to be a chance of progressing from the group stages of the tournament. So how will he do this if he is sitting on the bench?

Well to be brutally honest to both Schwarzer and Australian football fans, Schwarzer is in the last years of his playing career and he would prove an almost useless signing, as he would no doubt retire after this upcoming season.

So then he can therefore not demand to be the number one ‘keeper at most top flight clubs the world over, with possibly only the A-League as an exception.

But Schwarzer has previously stated his desire to, preferably, stay in the English Premier League or in a top division club in Europe. This week he got his wish as Chelsea came calling.

Chelsea will provide Schwarzer with quite a lot though, apart from regular first team football. He will be at a club that will be challenging for honours, a club that has some of the best facilities in the world and some of the best players in the world providing healthy competition to make the starting eleven.

This will give Schwarzer that last shove to keep competing for a starting spot in his club, whilst being able to consult with some of the best coaches, dieticians and overall one of the most successful managers of the current era, Jose Mourinho.

Despite not getting the amount of starts that would appease most Socceroos fans, Schwarzer will be in an environment that can only enrich the veteran ahead of the World Cup in Brazil.

It may not be the move that will make most supporters happy, but it is a move that has been made with one eye on 2014. It could turn out to be a piece of genius, or could prove the naysayers right. It’s over to you now Mr Mark Schwarzer.

3 comments

I think this move by Schwarzer, although unexpected, is a good move. He will be training with Chelsea and Petr Cech which in turn will make him more movitated to take that number 1 spot and provide him with the best team and the best staff and he best facilities to achieve great things. I think he has been the number one most influential Socceroo in the last 20 years, goal scorers get all the glory, without him we would never have made the 2006 Cup after he saved those penalty kicks. I think Petr will be able to help Mark with the slight technical issues in his game and therefore this will benefit Australia.

Thoughts??

Comment by Dan Bordin on July 12, 2013 at 1:05 am

I think you’re spot on Daniel. In the article I guess I kind of cover both sides of the coin and how I viewed and thought of the move both initially, and after giving it some thought. The most important thing to take into account in my opinion is the fact that wherever he would’ve gone it would’ve been very hard for him to command a starting spot. So then going to a club like Chelsea that has a great ‘keeper – in the form of Cech – is ideally a great move on Schwarzer’s part. Schwarzer is most definitely one of the most influential Australian players, not only in the past two decades – but in my opinion – of all time. And no doubt his influence at the World Cup next year will still be crucial to the Socceroos chances.

Comment by admin on July 12, 2013 at 4:50 am

The only other thing He could have done was come to A League and help out one of the sides here and mentor it’s players, but that’s not Marks style, he is at the top of the tree in terms of being able to play in the best League in the world and why would he settle for anything else. He could have gone to a smaller club like one of the clubs coming up from the N-power league to help hem but I feel this move to Chelsea is the right one, firstly for the reasons above but secondly, they play many games a year and if Cech was to get injured or needed to be rested who better to have than Schwarzer. I agree with your comment about the most influential Socceroo of al time. This will be a big World Cup for him.

Comment by Dan Bordin on July 12, 2013 at 7:21 am

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